Im coming up...

posted on Friday, 12th March 2010 | find under

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." This is a famous quote from Jacqueline Gareau who was a Boston marathon champion in the 1980's. As someone that loves to go to the extremes in sports it has always been a quote that i have enjoyed and taken a small amount of solice in. I have had periods of both illness and injury and it has always been the quote that i think of when i am back on that first comeback training session. Those for me are the hardest. You remember the heady heights of your own former glory of previous months and yet there you are puffing your way round a three miler as a granny on a zimmer zips past you. The thing is that there will always be times when it is hard, there will be weeks or months when training is not possible for whatever reason. Any one can be a former runner, swimmer or champion but not everyone has the strength of mind or character to start back on the bottom rung of the ladder and slowly make the climb back up. I've dropped a few rungs of the ladder lately in my running but ill be back up there climbing tomorrow morning (around 6am if anyone fancies it...) and the 5.30 power yoga class this morning served to highlight the fact that the ladder isnt even in sight for me here...but i do enjoy a sporting challenge. And thats my point: The difference is in the person that does make a comeback. Those few that take the hit on their chin and force themselves back up the ladder and end up faster, harder and stronger than before. Every athlete suffers setbacks but only the great make comebacks.

Worksrider on Im coming up...

By Worksrider - 28th September 2010

Tenacity. That's all it is about. The best have it.

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